A toolkit for event organizers

World Health Day 2008

Protecting Healthfrom Climate Change

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ................................ 05

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF WORLD HEALTH DAY 2008 ............................................................................... 06

WORLD HEALTH DAY 2008 “PROTECTING HEALTH FROM CLIMATE CHANGE” ............................................ 10

KEY MESSAGES ............................................................................................................................................ 11

GETTING STARTED ....................................................................................................................................... 12Collect information ............................................................................................................................ 12Develop and package the message ................................................................................................... 13Mobilize others and plan events ....................................................................................................... 16Sixty ways to celebrate World Health Day ......................................................................................... 18

KEEPING THE MOMENTUM THROUGHOUT 2008........................................................................................ 20How to interest the media in World Health Day.................................................................................. 20Understanding the media .................................................................................................................. 21Creating and sustaining media interest ............................................................................................. 23

INFLUENCING PUBLIC OPINION .................................................................................................................. 24Newspaper contributions .................................................................................................................. 24Other actions .................................................................................................................................. 24Using the media ................................................................................................................................ 25

ACTION PLAN CHECKLIST ........................................................................................................................... 26

USEFUL CONTACTS .................................................................................................................................... 28

WORLD HEALTH DAY 2008 WEB SITE: announcement of events (form) ..................................................... 32

WORLD HEALTH DAY ACTIVITIES: outcome of events (form) ...................................................................... 33

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© World Health Organization 2008All rights reserved.

This guide is intended to support you in developingmaterials and in planning and conducting events to markWorld Health Day 2008.

The material in this guide may be reproduced, adapted,translated and otherwise used in relation to publicationsand events related to World Health Day 2008: The name“World Health Day 2008” may be used in connection withyour World Health Day publications and events. However,the name and emblem of the World Health Organizationmay NOT be used. This guide may NOT be used inconnection with the promotion of specific commercialcompanies or products.

Organizers are reminded that the design of this guideand the material contained in it are copyright property ofthe World Health Organization and should be used solelyto identify events and materials related to World HealthDay 2008. The design may not be reproduced for thepurpose of self-promotion or obtaining any commercialor personal financial gain, nor may it be utilized in anymanner that implies WHO’s endorsement of the activitiesor products of a commercial enterprise.

The designations employed and the presentation of thematerial in this publication do not imply the expressionof any opinion whatsoever on the part of the WorldHealth Organization concerning the legal status of anycountry, territory, city or area or of its authorities, orconcerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

All reasonable precautions have been taken by the WorldHealth Organization to verify the information contained inthis publication. However, the published material is beingdistributed without warranty of any kind, either express orimplied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use ofthe material lies with the reader. In no event shall theWorld Health Organization be liable for damages arisingfrom its use.

Any queries regarding this guide should be addressed to:whd2008@who.int

This publication is available electronically only and canbe found at www.who.int/world-health-day

WHO/HSE/PHE/WHD/08.01

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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATIONM

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Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Climate change will affect, in profoundly adverse ways,some of the most fundamental determinants of health: food, air, water. In the face of this challenge, we need championsthroughout the world who will work to put protecting human health at the centre of the climate change agenda.

World Health Day, celebrated on 7 April every year, is a unique opportunity to draw worldwide attention to a subject ofmajor importance to global health. This year, World Health Day focuses on the need to protect health from the adverseeffects of climate change. Apart from demonstrating your personal commitment to organizing events around World HealthDay, it is going to be vital to make 2008 a remarkable year in ensuring that everyone is aware of the health issues and theurgency of the goals to be achieved. Every event and every voice on every occasion is needed to give new energy andcommitment to making the fundamental changes that will both stabilize the climate and prevent human suffering.

We know what an unstable and changing climate means for health. Heatwaves, storms, floods and droughts kill tens ofthousands each year. Climate-sensitive diseases such as diarrhoea, malaria and protein–energy malnutrition alreadycause more than 3 million deaths globally. Even these numbers do not reflect the devastating indirect health impactsanticipated from the effect that climate change will have on food crops and the availability of fresh water in large areas ofthe world. All populations are vulnerable, but the poor are the first and the hardest hit. Climate change threatens toreverse our progress in fighting diseases of poverty, and to widen the gaps in health outcomes between the richest andthe poorest. This is unfair – and it is unacceptable.

What can be done? We need to make clear that in a rapidly changing environment, it is not only the animals and plants,but humans, that need protection. We need governments to put human health and wellbeing at the heart of climatechange policy, and renew efforts to protect health through achieving the Millennium Development Goals. We needministries of health to strengthen public health policy and practice to meet the challenges of climate change and protecttheir populations. And, most importantly, we need individuals to make personal choices that will both enhance healthand reduce climate change.

World Health Day 2008 provides the occasion not just to highlight the magnitude of the problem, but also to bring allstakeholders together to apply solutions that work. Climate change will only respond to nations, and to people, acting inconcert. Whatever kind of events you decide to organize and however modest your budget, we hope this toolkit will helpyou to achieve the maximum impact for your activities.

The verdict is in. Climate change is real. Human activities are a prime cause. Human activities can also be the solution. Wemust act now, together, to find ways to protect human health and the people on this planet. All your efforts will con-tribute. Let us make World Health Day 2008 “Protecting Health from Climate Change” a landmark event that sets thestage for truly global action!

DDrr MMaarrggaarreett CChhaannDirector-General of the World Health Organization

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The material in this guide is intended to assist inthe planning process to mark World Health Day2008 on the theme “Protecting Health from ClimateChange”. It provides information on how differentsectors – including individuals, institutions, organi-zations, or government agencies involved in publichealth from the local to international level – canplay a role in the celebrations. Although specificevents should be tailored according to the cultural,social and economic conditions in each country, webelieve the ideas shown in this toolkit will stimulatea truly global celebration and will anchor health atthe heart of the climate change agenda.

The theme “Protecting Health from Climate Change”puts health at centre stage: it was selected in recog-nition that climate change is posing ever growingthreats to global public health security. Throughincreased collaboration, the global community willbe better prepared to cope with climate-relatedhealth challenges worldwide and in regions, coun-tries and communities. Examples of such actionsare strengthening surveillance and control of infec-tious diseases, ensuring safer use of diminishingwater supplies, and coordinating health action inemergencies.

The theme can be interpreted relatively easily in dif-ferent contexts, countries, cultures and languages.It can be understood in many different ways, basedon regional and national priorities and contexts. Inits broad interpretation, the theme allows for theestablishment of linkages between climate changeand health that would otherwise remain unexplored,touching on areas such as health and security,health and environment, health and energy, healthand food, health and transport, health and the builtenvironment – in addition to health and climatechange.

This year’s theme is a call to reach a broad spectrumof actors in the community – and to link with world-wide efforts of international agencies, nongovern-mental organizations, governments and the commu-nity at large. It is an opportunity to capitalize on theenergy and commitment of people, and to achieve acommon goal: to attract global and local attentionand to galvanize action, so that every person on theplanet is less vulnerable to climate change, itsthreats and its health impacts.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF WORLD HEALTH DAY 2008A

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Key points in support of such a global effort arelisted below.

nn Health is among the sectors most affected byclimate change.

nn Health impacts of climate change and variabilityare happening now. Excess heat-relatedmortality, changes in vector-borne disease ranges and changes in the anticipated pollen season in the high and middle latitudes of the northern hemisphere are early evidence of health impacts of the changing climate.1

nn Changing patterns of natural disasters, and the numbers of people affected, are another early consequence of climate change. Climate changealone accounts for more than 60 000 deaths from climate-related natural disasters every year, the majority of which occur in thedeveloping world.

nn Health hazards from climate change are diverse,global and difficult to reverse over human time scales. They range from increased risks of extreme weather events to increase of mosquitopopulation density from changing temperatures and water availability, and changes in infectious disease dynamics.

nn Many of the most important global killers are highly sensitive to climatic conditions. Malaria, diarrhoea and malnutrition cause more than3 million deaths each year, and the incidence and spread of these diseases and conditions can all be expected to be affected by changing weather patterns and water availability.

1 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.Climate change 2007 – Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Contributionof Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC.Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2007: 391–431.

World Health Day 2008 is a unique opportunity tofocus attention and to create momentum that com-pels governments, the international community, civilsociety and individuals to take action. On the Day (7April 2008), we hope that your organization will addits unique voice to the others around the worldhosting events on the theme “Protecting Healthfrom Climate Change”. A range of activities in everycountry will stimulate a change from passive indif-ference to active, long-term involvement. The solu-tions to the climate change crisis will be found inthe diversity of human imagination and experience.All of us are needed to meet this global threat.

World Health Day offers an opportunity to revitalizepolitical commitment to address climate change,and provides a unique event to launch a worldwideadvocacy effort to catalyse greater public participa-tion in the global campaign to protect health fromthe adverse effects of climate change.

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Health impacts will be disproportionately greater invulnerable populations. Globally, people at greatestrisk include the very young, the elderly and themedically infirm. Low-income countries and areaswhere undernutrition is widespread, education ispoor and infrastructures are weak will have mostdifficulty adapting to climate change and relatedhealth hazards. Vulnerability is also determined bygeography and is higher in areas with a highendemicity of climate-sensitive diseases, waterstress, low food production and isolated popula-tions. The populations considered to be at greatestrisk are those living in small-island developingstates, mountainous regions, water-stressed areas,megacities and coastal areas in developing coun-tries (particularly the large urban agglomerations indelta regions in Asia), and also poor people andthose unprotected by health services. A major con-cern is the fact that some African countries have ahigh burden of climate-sensitive diseases and poorpublic health capability to respond; the effects ofclimate change on socioeconomic development willseriously undermine the health and well-being ofpeople in such countries.

nn Health effects are likely to increase over timeas temperatures continue to rise, affecting all populations across the world.

nn Risks related to climate change are inequitably distributed. The greenhouse gases that cause climate change originate so far mainly from industrialized countries, but the health risks in the short to medium term are concentrated in the poorest developing nations that havecontributed least to the problem.

nn Climate change further jeopardizes our chances of achieving the Millennium Development Goals – the international targets for poverty reduction and social development which the international community has agreed upon. Again, climate change will affect the poor and sociallydisadvantaged – or the ability of these peopleto improve their life chances – the most.

nn There is a stronger understanding of the timing and magnitude of health impacts from climate change; some future impacts are now predicted with high (80%) or very high (90%) confidence.

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The public health response to climate change needsto be tailored to local and regional conditions andthreats because health is likely to be differentlyaffected depending on geography, populationdynamics, level of development and public healthinfrastructure. These differences are illustrated inthe points below drawn from the Fourth AssessmentReport of the Intergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange (IPCC), Summary to Policy-Makers.

nn Africa: exacerbation of malnutrition in some countries due to as great as a 50% reduction in yields from rain-fed agriculture by 2020.

nn Asia: rise in endemic morbidity and mortality due to diarrhoeal disease primarily associated with floods and droughts in East, South and South-East Asia caused by projected changes in the hydrological cycle.

nn Europe: increase of the health risks due toheatwaves and increased frequency of wildfires.

nn Latin America: increase in the number of people at risk of hunger due to the decrease inproductivity of some important crops andlivestock.

nn North America: increase in the number, intensityand duration of heatwaves, with potential for adverse health impacts.

2 The world health report 2004 – Changing history.Geneva. World Health Organization, 2004.3 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate change 2007. IPCCFourth Assessment Report. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2007.

nn What we do globally to mitigate and adaptover the next decade will greatly affect themagnitude of health impacts worldwide.

nn Many of the projected impacts on health are avoidable or controllable through well-known and tested public health interventions, as well as through measures of mitigation (reduction of exposure) and adaptation (reduction of effects) in health-related sectors such as vector control, energy, transport, land use, and watermanagement.

nn Many of the strategies needed to stabilizeclimate change have positive health benefits. For example, increased use of active transport in industrialized countries will reducegreenhouse gas emissions from individualautomobiles, at the same time it improves air quality leading to better respiratory health and fewer premature deaths, and increases physical activity leading to less obesity and fewerobesity-related illnesses.

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WORLD HEALTH DAY 2008 “PROTECTING HEALTH FROM CLIMATE CHANGE”

The goals

nn Raise awareness and public understandingof the global and locally relevant healthconsequences of climate change.

nn Advocate for interdisciplinary and intersectoral partnerships from the local to international levelthat seek to improve health through rapid deployment of mitigation strategies to stabilize climate change and development of proactive adaptation programmes to minimize health impacts.

nn Generate effective actions by local communities,organizations, health systems and governments to reduce the impact of climate change on health through urgent application of mitigation techniques (reduction of exposure) andadaptation techniques (reduction of effects).

nn Demonstrate the health community’s role infacing the challenges globally and in regions, countries and communities.

nn Spark commitment and action amonggovernments, international organizations, donors, civil society, businesses andcommunities (especially among young people) to anchor health at the heart of the climatechange agenda.

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KEY MESSAGES

Health is one of the areas most affected byclimate change – and it is being affected nowThe science is clear. The earth is warming, thewarming is accelerating, and human actions areresponsible. If current warming trends remainuncontrolled, humanity will face more injury, dis-ease and death related to natural disasters andheatwaves, higher rates of foodborne, waterborneand vector-borne illness, and more prematuredeaths and disease related to air pollution.Moreover, in many parts of the world, large popula-tions will be displaced by sea level rise and affectedby drought and famine. As glaciers melt, the hydro-logical cycle shifts and the productivity of arableland changes. We are beginning to be able to meas-ure some of these effects on health even now.

The health impacts of climate change will hitthe poor hardestThe physical effects of climate change will vary indifferent geographical locations. The human healthimpacts from climate change are further modified bysuch conditions as level of development, povertyand education, public health infrastructure, landuse practices and political structure. Initially, devel-oping countries will be hardest hit. Countries withhigh levels of poverty and malnutrition, weak healthinfrastructures and/or political unrest will be theleast able to cope. Moreover, if we fail to addressclimate change and its effects on health, we riskjeopardizing even further our ability to achieve theMillennium Development Goals.

Traditional public health tools are importantcomponents of effective response to climate changeClean water and sanitation, safe and adequate food,immunization, disease surveillance and response,safe and effective disease vector control, and disas-ter preparedness are all critical components of pub-lic health practices that are also adaptations toclimate change. These programmes need to bestrengthened globally with special concentration ofeffort in high-risk locations and populations in orderto prevent climate-related injury, disease and death.

Cross-sector, interdisciplinary partnerships arenecessary to meet this global health threatClimate change is wide ranging, and effective adap-tation will require the building of partnerships toleverage the expertise of government agencies,intergovernmental and nongovernmental organiza-tions, industry and professional groups and localcommunities. Decisions affecting urban planning,transport, energy supply, food production, land useand water resources affect both climate and health.Collaboration across all these sectors is needed tofind the innovative and effective solutions that willstabilize climate and protect health.

Action must begin now to protect health byapplying both adaptation and mitigationScientific uncertainty persists about the possibilityand timing of abrupt and catastrophic climatechange if temperatures continue to rise. This makesit urgent for action to begin now to stabilize the cli-mate through strong and effective mitigation under-taken simultaneously with adaptation activities toprevent increases in foreseeable climate-related ill-nesses. Full participation of the health sector innational and international processes for mitigationand adaptation to climate change is essential.

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GET

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TED GETTING STARTED

Key steps in the process of planning your activitiesfor World Health Day 2008:

1. Collect information (local, national, global)

2. Develop and package the key messages

3. Mobilize other sectors

4. Plan events for the day – and beyond!

In order to be able to keep the momentum goingbeyond World Health Day, you will need to thinkright from the start of ways in which the activitiescan be continued and built on throughout the year.We suggest you read this toolkit all the way throughbefore you start planning.

Remember, your campaign is a newsworthy mediaevent, so work with media professionals throughoutplanning and staging of the event, and enlist theirhelp to assess its impact.

Join us now in organizing a successful Day.

COLLECT INFORMATIONLearn the basics about climate change and health.Identify the climate-related health problems mostlikely to be issues in your area. Consider which seg-ments of the population might be most vulnerable tothese outcomes and see if there are any local dataor statistics concerning them (e.g. elderly people,medical conditions, educational levels, poverty,housing or employment). Look for local experts ingovernment, public health or universities who canhelp you develop a health message that is relevantto your location and organization. Transform yourlocal and national statistics into key messages andstories for your target audience(s). If no local dataare available, use the global information provided inthis toolkit (see the key messages on page 11 andthe sound bites on the next pages) and, if possible,adapt it to the local circumstances. The messagesand stories should support successes, identify infor-mation and programme gaps, and set out the nextsteps in your World Health Day follow-up activities.

Facts based on solid research are crucial to anyadvocacy campaign. Although many global statisticsexist, local data will be most persuasive to localpoliticians and media.

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DEVELOP AND PACKAGE THE MESSAGEIt will be useful to keep the following points in mindwhen developing the message.

nn Describe the level of local information on climatechange and health available in your region or country. What are the largest and most likelyclimate-related health problems for your region or country? How much baseline informationdo you already gather? What are the currentpublic health protections/programmes in place to address these health issues?

nn Identify gaps (problems) in local information and current programmes for protecting health from climate change, as well as the steps you can take to raise awareness and stimulate action.

nn Publicize and promote the work done orprogrammes proposed by your organizationto improve the situation.

nn Empower individuals and organizations atthe local level to get involved by identifying practical, locally relevant approaches both to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and toprepare for their future health impacts.

nn Highlight success stories.

Your planning will involve working with the media atall stages. Various ways of using communicationchannels are discussed in this guide.

Once you have collected and analysed data, trans-form the results into something everyone can relateto. Short, catchy phrases – called “sound bites” –are best for this purpose. Remember that the mes-sage may need to be adapted to fit the target audi-ence you are aiming to reach. The following are afew examples of sound bites on the theme“Protecting Health from Climate Change” thatcould be used under different conditions.

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Sound bite 1:Climate change threatens health There is sound evidence that global warming is nowunequivocal. Without urgent, immediate actionthrough changes in lifestyle and attitude, the effectson the global climate system could be abrupt or irre-versible, sparing no country, causing more frequentand more intense heatwaves, rainstorms, tropicalcyclones and surges in sea level this very century.These occurrences threaten human health securityand cost lives. As early as 2020, according to areport from the Intergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange (IPCC), 75–250 million people in Africa willsuffer water shortages, while residents of Asia’smegacities will be at great risk of river and coastalflooding.

Sound bite 2:Climate change will burden health servicesHealth professionals are on the front line in dealingwith the health impacts of climate change. All popu-lations are likely to experience some impacts, butthe most vulnerable populations are those who livein poor countries where the health system alreadystruggles to detect, control and treat infectiousdiseases and health conditions, including malaria,dengue haemorrhagic fever, protein–energy malnu-trition and diarrhoea. Climate change will exacerbatethese weaknesses by bringing new pressures onhealth services, with greater frequency.

Sound bite 3:Protection of health from climate change callsfor a preventive public health approach To preserve health in a changing climate, we need tostrengthen and reform the systems we have ratherthan invent new, separate structures. To protecthealth from climate change we must tackle the issueon all fronts: reducing and responding to the effectsof climate change is a shared international responsi-bility.

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Sound bite 4:Invest in health systems, be prepared forclimate changeInternational collaboration among transitioneconomies and developed and developing countries,with increased focus on strengthening public healthsystems, is crucial to protecting health in a changingclimate. Preparing health systems for climate changeincludes strengthening surveillance and control ofinfectious diseases, ensuring safer use of diminish-ing water supplies, and coordinating health action inemergencies.

Sound bite 5:WHO is responding to the climate changechallengeWHO is bringing the global community together toaddress the growing threat of climate change topublic health security, by: supporting global policyefforts on climate change; strongly advocating fornational, group and individual action to promotehuman health; helping Member States prepare theirhealth systems for emerging challenges broughtabout by climate change; and providing guidance onhow development decisions in other sectors canenhance health at the same time as they cut green-house gas emissions.

Take account of regional differencesHealth is likely to be differently affected in differentparts of the world. The IPCC has described some ofthe different health consequences in various regionsof the world (see page 9), and some countries havebegun evaluating climate-related health issues on anational scale. Your message will be most effective ifit is based on data and likely health impacts withinthe populations or locations you serve.

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Health sector: doctors, nurses and otherpractitioners, administrators, public healthpersonnel

nn Promote recognition of the main health threats from climate change.

nn Find the win-win actions that promote health as they reduce climate change – e.g. more active transport in automobile-dependent cultures will improve air quality, decrease greenhouse gas emissions and combat obesity.

nn Stress the health sector’s direct responsibilityto respond to the threats to health that climate change is posing to the population.

nn Provide an example of how the health sector can demonstrate carbon neutral practice.

nn Point out that many of the most effectiveinterventions in protecting health from climate change are basic public health interventions.

nn Include issues of climate-related health threats in general health training and continuingeducation modules.

MOBILIZE OTHERS AND PLAN EVENTSApproach local partners with an outline of activitiesand events for World Health Day 2008 and ask fortheir involvement and support. Explain how theirparticipation shows enlightened self-interest: as wellas supporting a good cause, it will increase theirvisibility and enhance their profile in the community.

Discussions, forums, seminars and courses areuseful for exchanging information with the public,nongovernmental organizations, policy-makers anddecision-makers, and associations of health-careproviders and teachers.

Policy-makers and decision-makers

nn Make national and international commitments to reduce exposures to and effects of climate change.

nn Identify the relevant health and environment policies and legislation, and the individuals in government responsible for them.

nn Assess information on climate change and health and ensure that the priority issues receive the necessary high-level attention.

nn Ensure that government budgets forenvironment, health and other sectors areadequate to support improvement programmes.

nn Promote linkages between health andenvironment policies.

nn Raise awareness among all sectors (energy, transport, urban planning, agriculture,economics, industry) of the health impact ofclimate change.

The boxes below provide checklists of some of thepoints for discussion and actions you might chooseto take, according to the people and organizationsyou could involve. In discussion with local partners,you will find many additional options for action andcooperation.

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Local authorities, mayors, nongovernmentalorganizations, communities and individuals

nn Encourage maximum energy efficiency andconservation through simple individual actions.

nn Put pressure on authorities to engage inmitigation actions that move towardscarbon-neutral, sustainable operations and future endeavours.

nn Encourage planning and funding to address health consequences of the unavoidable climatechange guaranteed by previous emissions.

nn Build community awareness about placing health at the heart of the climate changeagenda.

nn Influence local and national policies, and hold authorities accountable for their actions andfor the services they provide.

Education: teachers, students and children

nn Provide teachers with accessible materials to educate children on the impacts of climate change on health.

nn Provide accessible materials to illustrate that children can become leaders to stimulate behaviour change in adults that can mitigateclimate change and protect their future.

nn Disseminate information on solutions that already exist and those that are underdevelopment to stimulate academic interestand foster a group of new scientists, engineers, health professionals and political leaders.

Private sector

nn Involve the private sector in preparednessand in vulnerability reduction by formingpublic–private partnerships.

nn Create institutional and managementarrangements to ensure that the private sector will be involved in reducing and responding to climate change.

nn Find the win-win situations that stimulate the economy, create climate-safe jobs and mitigate further climate change.

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SIXTY WAYS TO CELEBRATE WORLD HEALTH DAY2008 is the 60th Anniversary of the World Health Organization, so we offer 60 suggestions to get you started on planningyour marking of World Health Day 2008 “Protecting Health from Climate Change”.

In schools1. Arrange a school assembly on World Health Day 2008 with a guest speaker on climate change and health.2. Make student assignments on climate change and health (essays, research and book reports).3. Sponsor a climate and health contest (posters, writing, photo, essay, and art).4. Form a youth theatre group to perform plays addressing climate change and health issues.5. Form student groups to calculate and make plans to reduce personal/household carbon footprints.6. Start a climate and health club.7. Invite a doctor, nurse or community health worker to come and talk to students.8. Create a special learning unit using essays, poems, books and research reports about the responsibility we all

share in facing up to health issues and climate change.9. Have students locate statistics and articles about climate-related health problems from different regions of the world.10. Design a board game or quiz on global climate and health facts.11. Write a letter or article for the school newspaper on protecting health from climate change.12. Have older children mentor younger children in writing a letter to their parents about actions at home to protect

health from climate change.13. Reward children who take the bus, walk or cycle to school with earlier dismissal after class.

In the workplace14. Distribute educational materials to workers and management on climate change and health.15. Invite a guest speaker who can link workplace issues to climate change and health.16. Sponsor a poster, T-shirt or bumper sticker design contest for World Health Day 2008.17. Place tips in the newsletter on win-win actions to promote health and conserve energy.18. Create an award for most climate friendly employee/department/manager.19. Have a contest for best carbon reduction programme in office/department/unit.20. Sponsor a walk-to-work or cycle-to-work day.21. Reward car poolers with the best parking spots.22. Develop a climate and health committee to recommend and monitor changes in the workplace.

In health facilities23. Distribute educational materials to patients, clients and staff.24. Develop poster messages on climate change and health.25. Develop patient handouts on co-benefits of carbon mitigation and health. 26. Do risk reduction appraisals and diagnostic screenings on climate-related health conditions.27. Hold “open house” tours of sustainable facilities and green buildings.

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28. Sponsor a roundtable on climate and health friendly lifestyles among health workers and leaders.29. Calculate the carbon footprint of your health clinic and make an action plan to reduce it.30. Start a climate and health committee. 31. Incorporate climate change in health fairs. 32. Work with local planners and community leaders to promote a climate and health friendly community.33. Be a good role model for colleagues and clients.

Among the general public34. Sponsor a fun run to draw attention to climate and health.35. Promote a cycle-to-work/school or walk-to-work/school event on World Health Day 2008. 36. Sponsor a conference, workshop or symposium with local experts on climate change and health.37. Organize a panel of local leaders to discuss actions on the theme “Protecting Health from Climate Change”.38. Use plays, musical performances and films to raise funds for climate and health awareness.39. Sponsor a T-shirt, button or pencil sale, a walk or a run to benefit an awareness programme in your area.40. Start a letter-writing campaign to government officials about carbon mitigation and adaptation to promote health.41. Arrange special service projects on climate and health by universities, civic and religious groups and social clubs.42. Hold a film festival featuring educational films about climate change and health.43. Work with retail merchants on promotional items highlighting the link between climate and health.44. Arrange for climate and health messages at professional sports pre-game ceremonies and scoreboard salutes.45. Create signs for public places promoting healthy, carbon-neutral lifestyle choices.46. Ask for pledges to reduce personal carbon footprints by 10% by next World Health Day.47. Phone or visit a local official to discuss the links between health and climate.48. Start neighbourhood climate and health committees to work on local solutions. 49. Hold an open house for local organizations to network on climate change and health issues.50. Develop a climate change and health report card for grading local groups and officials on progress.

In the media51. Write Letters to the Editor or op-eds (see page 24) about carbon mitigation and adaptations that promote health.52. Produce a public service announcement for TV or radio. 53. Submit a news release on your event.54. Produce a documentary.55. Gain endorsements and participation by athletes, celebrities and government officials.56. Use billboards, bus sides and other public locations to post health and climate messages.57. Be a guest on a radio talk show.58. Challenge elected officials to develop an action plan to protect health from climate change.59. Submit an article to a local magazine. 60. Start a climate and health blog or listserv.

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MO

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HOW TO INTEREST THE MEDIA INWORLD HEALTH DAY This section gives you some technical information onreaching and using the three primary channels ofmass media – television, radio and print. The discus-sion that follows sets out appropriate goals for yourmedia outreach efforts. It provides information onhow to understand and work directly with the mediaand suggests resources for reaching specializedmedia markets.

Organize eventsParades, competitions, street events and quizzesusing the World Health Day 2008 theme “ProtectingHealth from Climate Change” all create media atten-tion and get the message out to large numbers ofpeople in an entertaining and stimulating way. Thisis a good way to reach people who might not beattracted to more traditional events, such as semi-nars or meetings.

Celebrities

nn Choose individuals who are well known and respected within the country or communityand who can draw positive attention to World Health Day.

nn Invite personalities in music, film, sports and politics to talk about the issues.

nn Engage a well-known person or politician who lives nearby or is from your area – they mayprovide “local support” for your event.

nn Make sure the celebrities are briefed in advance.

Involve celebritiesIt is a good idea to involve celebrities as spokes-persons. Remember it takes time and preparation toensure the effective collaboration of celebrities, asthey and their agents or managers must be madethoroughly aware of the causes and consequencesof the subject matter and you must explain how youwant them to contribute to the event.

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UNDERSTANDING THE MEDIA Members of the media are also members of the com-munity. They will be interested in your messages intheir capacity as private citizens and also as profes-sionals. Two things are needed, however, to increasemedia coverage: (1) understanding what the mediawant in a story and (2) making sure that the informa-tion is provided to them in a clear and timely manner.

Having effective media relations is simple as long asyou keep these points in mind.

In addition, all reporters and producers seek similarstory elements. They look for audience appeal,issues that stimulate debate, stories that generateincreased readership, and sustained public interestthrough fresh perspectives on an issue. The mediawill avoid stories that are inaccurate or incomplete,as well as organizations that are overly persistentafter a story has been rejected.

Communicate effectivelyMedia relations, also referred to as public relations,are most effective ways of reaching target audi-ences. For example, you can use the news and pub-lic affairs programming in your area to highlighthealth issues. Before coordinating your media rela-tions efforts, review and set down what you want toaccomplish. Doing this will help you to developappropriate media activities and messages consis-tent with the goals outlined above.

When reviewing your communications programme,ask yourself the following questions:

nn Who is your target audience?

nn What messages should you use to influence your target audience?

nn What types of media outreach would beefficient and cost effective for this purpose?

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News releasesNews releases should be one page, but no morethan two pages in length, and it is important toinclude the five Ws: who is involved; what is hap-pening; when it is happening; where it is happening;and why or how it is happening.

In one or two sentences, the lead paragraph shouldanswer these five Ws. Most reporters decide whetheror not to read further depending on the first paragraph,and print editors tend to cut the press release from thebottom up. The second or third paragraph shouldinclude a quote reporters can use in their article.

Feature news proposals can be three to four pagesin length and should capture and build on a storyyou want to pitch. Attention-grabbing headings arealso important. Some suggestions for storiesinclude:

nn A profile of an active health communityleader – what he or she has done and why.

nn The barriers that exist to improving community health and why.

nn Personal stories of people’s experience ofovercoming health-related problems.

nn Targeted prevention programmes, perhaps for immunization or clean water supplies.

nn Launch of a partnership with a local businessto combat a health problem.

nn A local angle on international issues.

Media kitsA media kit provides information prepared speciallyfor the media and released on the day of the event.Often organizations have a standard media kit,which includes material introducing the organiza-tion. For major news events, the standard kit shouldbe supplemented with current information relatingto the event. Examples of materials that might beincluded in a media kit are:

nn Statistics on the prevalence of a particularclimate-related disease in your area.

nn Information on your organization and itsprevention programmes.

nn Information on national, state or local hotlines or resources.

nn Business card for the media to contact you or your organization.

nn Brief biographies of key officials andspokespersons in your organization.

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CREATING AND SUSTAINING MEDIA INTERESTThere are a number of different ways to create andsustain media interest in your event. Having a radioor TV station cosponsor your World Health Day eventwill highlight its commitment to health as well asgenerate the potential for free publicity. You can useprepared World Health Day material to attract bothmedia and public attention. Use it in all publicity-related materials, from invitations to media kits,buttons and banners. If in doubt, “Protecting Healthfrom Climate Change” conveys a powerful message.

When preparing your event, allow plenty of time forplanning, and choose carefully the date and time.Select a time when your most important audienceswill be available and there are no conflicting events.

Supply plenty of photographs (most newspapersprefer black and white) and camera-ready graphicssuch as charts. Some camera-ready material can beobtained from WHO Information Officers (see thecontact list on pages 28–30). Supplements for thebasic media kit for a special event may include:

nn News release(s) on the event.

nn Biographies of people (speakers, panelmembers, etc.) relevant to the event in which you are trying to interest the reporter.

nn Copies of relevant written materials, such as statements to be given at a news conference, speeches, etc.

Monitor your media relations Track your media contacts by asking all yourcolleagues to record summary information abouttheir telephone conversations on a simple formgiving name, organization, date, time, and topicsdiscussed. Examining the media contact formscan provide information such as how many mediaenquiries were received over a period of time,on which subjects, and whether enquiries areincreasing or decreasing.

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PU

BLI

C O

PIN

ION INFLUENCING PUBLIC OPINION

NEWSPAPER CONTRIBUTIONSTwo tools for outsiders to express their views innewspapers are Letters to the Editor and shortpieces that appear opposite the editorial page(known as “op-eds” in newspaper parlance). Mostnewspapers will usually consider up to two op-eds ayear. The piece should be quite short (ideally300–400 words), well thought out, well written andpersuasive; it should be sent by the head of yourorganization or someone of similar status.

Be selective about your Letters to the Editor: if youwrite too often they will not get printed. Your letteris more likely to be published if it contains fewerthan 400 words. You should develop your main ideawithin the first two paragraphs. If you are respond-ing to a specific article, put its title, author, and thedate when it appeared in the first sentence.

OTHER ACTIONSContact reporters on the staff of local papers andpersuade them to publicize your event. In addition,arrange to have the event listed in local newspapercalendars and announced on television and radiostations.

Deliver invitations two weeks in advance of theevent, by hand or by mail. Two to three days inadvance, call editors and reporters and ask if theyplan to attend. The day before the event, call theselected media again and politely remind themabout the event.

During the event, set up a media sign-in table andhand out media kits. Try to set up interviews withparticipants and introduce the media representa-tives to the appropriate spokespeople. A good ideais to issue everyone with name badges (with namesbig and bold!). Have someone from your organiza-tion take photographs to illustrate future articles onthe event; they will also be useful for your own files.

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USING THE MEDIAUtilizing the media to the best effect requires a col-laborative effort. In a community, there are oftenseveral groups working to promote their particularevent. If open communication does not existbetween them, competition for media coverage mayoccur, thus causing tension between the groups andconfusion among the media. The best way to avoidthis is to encourage collaboration between localorganizations, if possible forming an intermediarygroup that will coordinate the names, places, dates,etc. of each organization’s events to be covered.

Although you may sometimes call on a reporter toput a local angle on a national story, much of thetime you will need to create newsworthy material onyour own. The three most important elements in agood story, from the media’s point of view, areaction, people and substance. Match the needs ofthe media with your message.

There may be other opportunities throughout 2008 tobuild on the momentum you set in motion by theWorld Health Day celebrations. You may like to con-sider setting up a calendar of events, activities andprogrammes that are important to the community,which you could use to sustain your relationship withthe media. Because the news media thrive on novelty,however, you can only realistically expect to achievesignificant coverage two or three times a year.

Immediately after the event, send a news release toany reporters who were unable to attend and sendfollow-up letters to the editors of local newspapers.You can also write a follow-up article for inclusion inappropriate community publications, illustrated withphotographs. Remember to thank the communityand participants, and inform them of the success ofthe event.

Coverage of your World Health Day event can beexpanded by planning in advance a system for meas-uring the success of the event. Record informationsuch as how many people attended, how many vol-unteers were recruited, and how much media cover-age was received. Not only is this information usefulfor internal evaluation, but it can provide focus forpost-event news releases.

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ACTION PLAN CHECKLIST

nn Identify community resources. Refer to thesection on pages 14–16 to identify individuals and organizations in your community who mightbe interested in helping you to plan a World Health Day event.

nn Create a World Health Day planning committee. Invite the people identified above to attend a planning meeting. Form subcommittees and assign specific duties.

nn Choose an activity or activities. Use thesuggestions for World Health Day activities on pages 16–19 to help you decide how best tocelebrate the event in your community. Remember, it is better to begin modestly and succeed in reaching that goal than to plan a large project and fail.

CHEC

KLI

ST

nn Select an activity format. Decide whether to have one centralized event or many small ones. Will there be audience participation,refreshments, entertainment, etc.?

nn Set a date for your event. You can plan activitiesthroughout the week or even the whole year!

nn Set up an action timetable. Schedule dates and deadlines for your planning activities from the first meeting through to the day of your event.

nn Choose a location for your observance. Make certain there is enough space with adequate lighting, heating/air, acoustics, accessibility, parking, film facilities and refreshments and lunch facilities.

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Keep the activities of the World Health Day themegoing throughout the year. World Health Day shouldnot be the only advocacy effort of the year!It should be a catalyst for bringing together newpartners, generating media interest and mobilizingresources. The contacts made and the resultsachieved can be built on throughout the year, tokeep the essential elements at the forefront ofpublic opinion and to enable the issues to gathermomentum. Keep the heat on!

nn Identify possible financial sponsors. Many WorldHealth Day activities can be part of existing or planned activities and will require little or no funding. If not, decide what your financial and material needs will be early on and look forsupport from within your community.

nn Decide who will participate in your event. Determine approximately how many peopleyou want to attend. Discuss ways of getting across-section of your community involved.

nn Identify speakers, celebrities and entertainers. Look for sources of talent and expertise in your community. Make sure you give everyone plentyof time to prepare for the event.

nn Make hospitality arrangements. Prepareinvitations, acknowledgements, welcomingcommittees and name tags – and sendthank-you notes afterwards to speakers and others who assisted in the event.

nn Publicity. Submit news releases to newspapers and to television and radio stations; produce and distribute posters and flyers; announce your event at other meetings.

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CON

TACT

SUSEFUL CONTACTS

WHO HEADQUARTERS

International organizations should contactWHO headquarters:

Dr Maria NeiraDirectorDepartment of Public Health and Environment (PHE)World Health Organization GenevaFax: +41 22 791 4127Email: whd2008@who.int

Ms Nada OsseiranWorld Health Day 2008 CoordinatorCommunications and Advocacy Officer Department of Public Health and Environment (PHE)WHO headquarters (Geneva)Fax: +41 22 791 4127Email: whd2008@who.int

Regional organizations should contact the respectiveWHO regional offices. Country based organizationsshould contact the WHO country offices. National andlocal organizations should contact the respective WHOcountry office.

This information is provided on the main WHO website at: www.who.int/country/en

In countries where there is no WHO country office,the relevant WHO regional office should be contacted.

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WHO REGIONAL OFFICES

AFRICADr Lucien MangaRegional AdviserWHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) P.O. Box 6Brazzaville, Republic of the CongoEmail: mangal@afro.who.intTel: 47 241 39338,39338Fax: 47 24139503

Sam Ajibola Communications OfficerWHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO)Brazzaville, Republic of CongoTel: + 1321 953 9378 Email: ajibolas@afro.who.int

AMERICASDr L. A. Cassanha Galvão Program CoordinatorEnvironmental Quality Program-HEQHealth and Environment Division-HEPPan American Health Organization (PAHO)525, 23rd Street, NW, Room 524Washington, DC-20037-2895-USATel: (1) (202) 974-3156 Fax: (1) (202) 974-3645Email: galvaolu@paho.org

Daniel Epstein (Washington DC, USA)Communications OfficerWHO Regional Office for the Americas (AMRO)Tel: + 1 202 974-3459Email: epsteind@paho.org

EUROPE Dr Bettina MenneMedical OfficerGlobal Change and HealthWHO Regional Office for Europe (EURO)Via Francesco Crispi, 1000187 Rome, ItalyTel: +39 06 4877546Mobile: +39348 0192306Fax: +39 06 4877599Email: bme@ecr.euro.who.intWeb site: www.euro.who.int/globalchange

Ms Cristiana SalviTechnical Officer Communications and AdvocacyWHO Regional Office for Europe (EURO)HE Special ProgrammeVia Francesco Crispi, 1000187 Rome, ItalyTel: +39 06 4877543Fax: +39 06 4877599Mobile: +39 348 0192305Email: csa@ecr.euro.who.intWeb site: www.euro.who.int/envhealth

Ms Liuba NegruPress and Media Relations OfficerWHO Regional Office for Europe (EURO)Scherfigsvej 8, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, DenmarkTel: + 45 39 17 13 44Fax: + 45 39 17 18 80E-mail: LNE@euro.who.int

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WESTERN PACIFICDr Hishahi OgawaRegional Adviser WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO)P.O. Box 29321000 Manila, PhilippinesTel: + 63 2 528 8001Fax: + 63 2 521 1036 / 63 2 526 0279 / 63 2 526 0362 Email: ogawah@wpro.who.int

Peter CordingleyPublic Information OfficerWHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO)Manila, PhilippinesTel: +63-2-528-9992 Email: cordingleyp@wpro.who.int

EASTERN MEDITERRANEANEMRO Coordinator HPP/SEHWHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean(EMRO)WHO Post OfficeAbdul Razzak Al-Sanhouri StreetNaser City, Cairo 11371, EgyptTel: +20 (2) 276 5362 direct 65028Fax: +20 (2) 670 24 92 /4

Ibrahim Kerdany Communications Officer WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean(EMRO)Cairo, EgyptTel: +202 27 65037Mobile: + 20 10 6019087Email: kerdanyi@emro.who.int

SOUTH-EAST ASIADr Yoosuf A. SattarRegional AdviserDepartment of Sustainable Development and HealthyEnvironmentWHO Regional Office for South-East Asia (SEARO)Indraprastha EstateNew Delhi 110 002, IndiaTel: 00 91 11 23370804Email: yoosufa@searo.who.int

Ms Vismita Gupta Smith Communications OfficerWHO Regional Office for South-East Asia (SEARO)New Delhi, IndiaTel: +91 11 23370971Email: guptasmithv@searo.who.int

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Internet links

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): www.ipcc.ch

UN Gateway to Climate Change: www.un.org/climatechange/index.shtml

WHO web sites

WHO headquarters: www.who.int

World Health Day 2008: www.who.int/world-health-day

Department of Public Health and Environment: www.who.int/phe

Global Environmental Change: www.who.int/globalchange/en/index.html

Health Security and Environment: www.who.int/infectious-disease-news

Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network: www.who.int/csr/outbreaknetwork/en

Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response: www.who.int/csr/en

Polio: www.who.int/topics/poliomyelitis/en

The Strategic Health Operations Centre: www.who.int/csr/alertresponse/shoc/en/index.html

Bulletin of the World Health Organization: www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/83/health_and_security_call_for_papers/en

Health Action in Crises: www.who.int/hac/about/en

HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria (HTM)www.who.int/hiv/enwww.who.int/tb/enwww.who.int/malaria

Evidence and Information for Policy: www.who.int/evidence/en

Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health: www.who.int/nmh/en

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Please list our World Health Day 2008 event on the WHO web site.

Organization name:

Title of event:

Location: Date of event:

Web site link for further details on the event:

The following information will not be printed on the web site but may be needed to determine if the event is incompliance with WHO policy. In case of any doubt, the event will not be mentioned on the WHO web site.

Name of person in charge: Telephone:

Description of event:

Submit this form to:Department of Public Health and Environment (PHE)World Health Organization (WHO)

By fax: +4122 791 4127By e-mail: whd2008@who.intThrough web site: www.who.int/world-health-day

REQUEST FORM TO BE LISTED ON THE WORLD HEALTH DAY 2008 WEB SITE

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Kindly complete this form to report to WHO on the event/outcome of your activities to mark World Health Day 2008.

Organization name:

Contact name:

Address:

Town: Postal code: Country:

Telephone: Fax:

E-mail address:

Short description of the event: Please include the subject addressed, type of activity, specific audience for which it was organized, and the attendance rate.

The activity received the following press coverage in our area:You may attach press clippings for our reference.

This activity/event led to the following concrete actions in our community/region:

We plan a follow-up activity: oo No oo Yes

If yes, please describe the type of activity and expected outcome:

EVENTS FORM: OUTCOME OF WORLD HEALTH DAY ACTIVITIES